Dana Young won’t ‘let politicians get in the way of good ideas’

State Sen. Dana Young is hitting Hillsborough airwaves this week with the first TV ad backing her Senate District 18 re-election bid.

The 30-second ad, titled “Good Ideas,” pitches the Tampa Republican as a problem solver in a time of partisan fighting. It begins with her addressing the camera before moving on to shots of the first-term Senator speaking with constituents and workers at parks, the port and in factories.

“Too many politicians would rather pick fights than solve problems, and that is the biggest problem of all,” Young says in the ad.

“I’m Dana Young and I don’t let politicians get in the way of good ideas,” Young concludes.

Young, elected in 2016, is facing a serious challenge this year from House Minority Leader Janet Cruz, who currently represents House District 62. SD 18 is the only district Florida Democrats are targeting for a flip that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and a recent poll shows the two Tampanians are neck-and-neck.

The ad buy, which comes as vote-by-mail ballots start shipping out to voters, is the first instance of Young flexing her considerable money advantage in the Tampa Bay swing seat.

As of July 6, she had more than $316,000 banked in her campaign account. Her political committee, Friends of Dana Young, had another $1.06 million at the ready on July 13. Cruz, who filed for the seat in April, has a combined $388,000 in the bank between her campaign account and political committee, Building the Bay PC.

Neither Cruz nor Young faces a challenger in the Aug. 28 primary election. They will go head-to-head in the Nov. 6 general election.

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for Florida Politics. He is a former editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and business correspondent at The Hollywood Reporter. Wilson, a University of Florida alumnus, covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current prior to joining Florida Politics.

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